Reborn Diouf in contention for first France call-up under Zidane
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 08: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid is challenged by Andy Diouf of Internazionale during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid C.F. and FC Internazionale Milano at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 08, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Thursday’s reports claim that newly re-positioned Inter wing-back Andy Diouf is in contention to earn his first call-up to the France national team squad under Zinedine Zidane for the September-October international breaks after an encouraging start to the 2026-27 season with the Nerazzurri.
Diouf included in preliminary France squad ahead of September-October break
Diouf, 23, joined Inter from Lens as in a €25m deal last summer, but had to be patient for his opportunities in Cristian Chivu’s midfield amidst stiff competition from the likes of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Piotr Zielinski, Petar Sucic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan last season.
In the end, Diouf made 19 appearances in Serie A last season, but only four in the starting XI.
It has been an entirely different story for Diouf at the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign after being converted to a new role as a right wing-back in Chivu’s 3-5-2.
Despite the loss of Denzel Dumfries to Real Madrid over the summer and the subsequent signing of Djed Spence from Tottenham, Diouf has made the right wing-back role his own over the last few weeks and has already provided two assists from his first two Serie A appearances of the season.
He also played the full 90 minutes against Real Madrid in Inter’s first Champions League match of the 2026-27 campaign earlier this week.
His performances have already caught the eye of France national team head coach Zidane, who has included Diouf on his preliminary squad list ahead of the September-October international break according to reports from RMC Sport.
If Diouf makes the final cut, it will be his first ever call-up to the senior France national team. He represented the France Olympic side under Thierry Henry at the 2024 home games in Paris and had previously been a regular with the France U21, U20 and U19 sides.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.